Project Runway: Life's a Beach

Isn’t it wonderful when a plan comes together?

After announcing to the world last week that he “wasn’t looking to go out on a limb and win the challenge” (that’s the spirit!), Mitchell ABSOLUTELY outdid himself in the latest episode of “Project Runway” with a brand-new declaration.

The designers had paired up for the season’s first team challenge — creating a look inspired by California surf culture (or something) — and Shirin, along with six additional, randomly-chosen designers were picked as captains. The teams were, Shirin-Carol Hannah, Logan-Christopher, Nicolas-Gordana, Althea-Louise, Qristyl-Epperson, Johnny-Irina, and Mitchell-Ra’mon.

The unquestioned highlight of the selection process (and the season so far!) was Mitchell confessing to the nation that, “I wanted to work with someone who would carry me on this challenge.”

I’ve been pretty hard on Mitchell in my previous recaps, but I’m not going to lie — I laughed out loud when he said this. And I’m the guy who was offended and a little disgusted by his “I’m not going to try to win” attitude last week! The unmitigated gall of making such a statement this week was oddly awesome. (You can’t really call the guy a liar.) I think the biggest reason I was able to enjoy it was because, by saying something like that, Mitchell confirmed what I already suspected — he sucks.

The best/worst part is that Mitchell’s plan actually worked and Ra’Mon carried the team to victory. (More on this later.)

My sources tell me there were other designers featured in this episode (seriously — would you have been able to pick “Irina” or “Carol Hannah” out of a lineup before tonight's episode?), so I suppose I should talk about them.

In my previous recap, I mentioned (and I liked) the fact that the designers seemed to be getting along well in the workroom, minimizing the silly drama and keeping the emphasis on the work. Well, that harmonious streak came to a screeching halt, as we were treated to “Scenes from a (Bad) Marriage”, starring Qristyl and Epperson.

I’m probably the only one who had this impression (I was definitely the only one in my home), but I felt like this week’s challenge should’ve been more collaborative and less, “I’m the captain, you work for me.” I mean, besides Shirin, the captains were completely arbitrary and hadn’t earned any authority, so why should any one person be in charge?

Well, that’s not the way it played out. Instead, the captains (sans Mitchell, who seemed content to make a swimsuit that wouldn’t even be seen and play around in the workroom the rest of the time) sought to impose their will. This was particularly problematic for Qristyl and Epperson. It’s impossible to say who was at fault in this partnership. Epperson was probably too insensitive and overbearing, and Qristyl was probably too sensitive and too much of a pushover when it came to what their final design would look like. All I know is that watching these two try to out-eye roll each other was NOT fun. I actually like them both a little less than I did last week.

Other than that, the season’s first team challenge didn’t yield much drama. Gordana had misgivings about Nicolas’ avant garde look (a requirement that Tim Gunn sprung on the teams a bit later on), but was ultimately supportive of her partner on the runway when they ended up in the bottom two. Even Mitchell and Ra’mon didn’t exactly clash — it’s just that Ra’mon was doing all the work and all the freaking out. (When you think about it, Ra’mon actually created THREE looks if you count the discarded superhero wetsuit.)

Maybe it’s because there are still way too many designers, but I’m finding it hard to get into the runway shows. This week was no exception, with most of the look either not having that much to do with surfer wear or being too literal. (Or just forgettable.)

The bottom two was comprised of Qristyl-Epperson and Nicolas-Gordana, while the top two was made up of Johnny-Irina and Mitchell-Ra’mon(?!) Although their surfer look was brilliant, their avant garde look had a big ink blot on the side thanks to Ra’mon not being able to finish on time. (Then again, what’s more avant garde than that, right?!) Personally, I would’ve taken out Johnny-Irina, and replaced them with Althea-Louise, but what do I know?

In a rare instance of reality show justice, the judges (especially Heidi) did NOT let Mitchell get away with contributing nothing to his team’s winning design. In a “Project Runway” first, the captain of a winning team was sent home.

Of course, the fact that he was in the bottom two his previous two weeks was a major factor (“three strikes, you’re out”), but I’d like to think no designer could get away with this kind of no-show.

Even with his spectacular failure, I don’t hate Mitchell. The guy was good-natured throughout (even about his suckiness) and departed with class. Still, the important thing is that he departed — he HAD to go.

So what’d you think of this episode? Did you ever think you’d live to see the day that Tim Gunn wore flip-flops? (Welcome to California "Project Runway" — finally!) Are there any actresses in L.A. (like guest judge Rachel Bilson) who are NOT designers? Finally, is Mitchell the worst “Project Runway” contestant ever? (Since he’s actually a nice guy, I wouldn’t say “Worst.” I’d say “Least Successful.”)